# Named agents

A named agent gives a recurring kind of work a familiar place. You might create a research helper that gives short answers, or a writing partner that asks questions before revising a draft. Its description guides its behavior; it does not grant new permissions or connect services by itself.

## Create an agent

Open the [Agents panel](/nock/agents-panel) at the right edge of the screen and choose **New agent**. Pick an orb color, then fill in the fields:

- **Name:** a short name you will recognize in the panel.
- **Character:** its role in one line.
- **Personality:** the tone and working style you prefer.
- **What it can do:** the kind of tasks you expect to give it.
- **Instructions:** concrete rules, such as asking before changing a draft's meaning.

Choose **Agent** or **Bot** under **Mode**. Bot emphasizes a persistent character, short turns, progress updates, and handing longer work to workers. It does not make the agent a hosted computer or enable scheduled routines.

Choose a **Voice**, then **Save agent**. The automatic voice option assigns a consistent voice distinct from Nock's current voice. You can choose a specific available voice instead. Keep **Notifications** on if you want a completion or attention notice while another conversation is visible.

## Give it a first task

Select its orb and confirm the notch shows its name before speaking. Start with a small task: “Summarize this paragraph in three bullets and preserve the numbers.” Check the answer against the text. Refine one instruction at a time if its style is wrong.

For useful instructions, describe observable behavior: “Ask which audience I mean when it is unclear” is easier to check than “Always be perfect.” Put credentials into the designated connection controls, never into an agent's personality or instructions.

## Edit its character

Open its orb and choose **Edit agent**. These fields become its `SOUL.md`, which accompanies its messages. **Open SOUL.md** opens the file for direct editing. Nock manages a marked portion of that file; additional text outside that portion is preserved on save. Keep additions concise and avoid conflicting rules.

If saving says to finish or stop running turns, resolve active agent work first. Changing the character while work is running is deliberately restricted. Reopen the editor afterward and save again.

## Understand persistence

Named agents use local workspaces and separate memory. They share the tools available to Nock under the current account, connections, and access settings. A request written in **What it can do** cannot bypass those limits. Local agents require the computer and runtime to remain available.

**Remove agent** requires a second press. It disables the agent configuration rather than erasing its workspace. Do not interpret removal as deletion of all associated data. For conversation and data questions, see [Chats](/nock/chats) and [Privacy](/nock/privacy).